Baidu Basics…. (6)
I was reading an article that merely posed the question: “Can Google Gain Ground on Baidu?”
The benign and oft asked question then regressed into odd xenophobic commentary and a recanting of long traveled urban myths about the world’s #3 search engine Baidu (百度)…
Some of the feedback:
“I heard china were banning US based search engines (yahoo,msn,ask,google) in a politically driven move.”
–I think we should ban bad grammar in post-based nonsense. No, Google (New Motto: “Do a Little Evil“), Yahoo! and the others voluntarily censor themselves in pursuit of the almighty Yuan.
“Baidu’s PPC management tool is far less advanced than that of Google. However, they simply dominate the Chinese market. It would probably change as search marketing industry matures in China.”
–Another English major heard from….Actually, Baidu has a number of tools and programs that I prefer over Google. They can, and will, work side-by-side with companies to ensure maximum exposure. They are now opening up API access to distributors and analytics firms to ensure the best ROI.
“Baidu has only page rank of 7 i think the chinese just dont feel home in google. you forgot to mention google have a local version in china called SOSO.
“another factor is in china end users cannot manage their adwords account only by special adwords brokers appointed by google if every chinese would have made one link for me i was happy man ”
–The above mentioned blog has a diverse, albeit moderately literate, readership. First (or is it “firstly” Des?), Google ranks sites in countries relative to each other. Were Baidu in America it would likely be an 8-9. Anyway, Baidu’s Page rank (capital ‘P” ’cause it is named for the inventor, not the function) is not likely to affect its keywords in western searches. Secondly, SOSO (搜搜) belongs to the “QQ” people at Tencent (note: 搜，which in Mandarin sounds like the English word “so,” means “search” in Chinese). Thirdly, i too was happy if every one of the 230 million users in China would made one link for me.
“Surely google will deserves a position wherever it may be…”
–Insert your own punch line here______.
“You shouldn’t take Baidu’s dominance at full face value, remember that the Chinese government essentially turned google off a couple of years ago and redirected all traffic to baidu. In fact, on a recent visit to China a good friend of mine found it’s still happening intermittently. Not that he minds the free movie and mp3 downloads…”
–1. There is no Google master switch in president Hu’s office. 2. My friend thinks he gets lottery numbers from re-runs of It’s a Wonderful Life. 3. Baidu (百度) is now pursuing contracts with artists and companies and even branding legitimate mp3 players for musicians and advertisers. The Chinese invented noodles and fireworks and may have discovered America, but they did not come up with bit torrent. 4. Current data shows Baidu’s market share in China to be at about 60%. Baidu says that the 60% figure may be accurate for total searches done through a China-based portal, but Baidu claims a 70-75% share for queries originating from in-country. Google is running a distant second and Alibaba is limping in at 3rd. Tencent’s SOSO is an also ran…
“baidu is targetting Only China , but Googole is targetting all the world , so google will have all the previleges to be the n 1 in the world”
–Baidu, in a questionable moment of marketing sanity, just launched a Japanese search engine. “Googole” may be targeting the world, but it is missing the bullseye and shooting itself in the foot in Korea (ever heard of Naver?), China, Russia (Yandex) and other markets. In the David and Goliath wars, my money is on David with his home-field advantage.
Any savvy marketer, blogger or SEO provider needs to understand the mechanics of regional search. For starters:
- Use properly translated keywords in your tags and text. Baidu and Google.cn are more likely to pick you up.
- Submit your URL to Baidu at: http://www.baidu.com/search/url_submit.html
- Be wary of foreign based SEO players outside of China that do not have an on-the-ground presence in country, or purport to know the market while telling you things like, “Simplified Chinese will be sufficient to serve all markets.” A good SEO will optimize for the various ethnic groups and service or product targets you choose. China has 56 ethnic groups and a minimum of 6 distinct markets that can require special understanding and consideration.
- Get an authorized Baidu agent to place any ads for you. Do not buy from any company that claims Baidu has a set-up service fee. Ask for a copy of their contract with Baidu and access to your own control panel, even though it will be in Chinese.
A special Baidu Basics seminar will be held on-line March 6th and is free. Click on the banner above and head for the contact page and drop us a note. We will try and save you a spot and email you information. Whether you are a blogger, businessman, or SEO provider, there will be information on how you can successfully interface with Baidu on behalf of your clients.